refurbished

refurbished — adjective

1. A refurbished product or building has been professionally cleaned, repaired, and

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

A refurbished product or building has been professionally cleaned, repaired, and updated so that it looks and works like a new one, and is then offered for sale again, usually at a lower price.

Example

Anong bought a refurbished laptop from the online store for half the usual price.

collocation: refurbished laptop

Hotel guest rooms were refurbished last winter and now feel fresh and clean.

predicative: be + refurbished

Common collocations
  • refurbished laptop
  • refurbished smartphone
  • refurbished furniture
  • refurbished apartment
  • refurbished hotel
  • refurbished office space
  • factory refurbished
  • professionally refurbished
  • refurbished goods
  • refurbished electronics
Synonyms
  • renovated

    more common for buildings and rooms; suggests structural updates, not just cleaning and repair

  • restored

    implies returning something to its original condition, often used for older or damaged items

  • reconditioned

    more technical; focuses on mechanical or electronic repair rather than appearance

Antonyms
  • new

    has never been used or owned before

  • used

    previously owned but not professionally restored; may show signs of wear

Grammar Patterns

refurbished + noun

be + refurbished

Usage Note

Refurbished differs from 'used': a refurbished item has been professionally inspected and restored before being resold, while 'used' simply means previously owned. The term is common in electronics retail (laptops, phones, tablets) and real estate (apartments, hotels).

Common Mistakes

I bought a refurbished phone from my cousin for cheap.' (if it was simply second-hand).
I bought a used phone from my cousin for cheap.
'refurbished' means professionally restored, not just previously owned.

Word family

  • refurbish
    verbB2
  • refurbishment
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe making something better than it was, but they differ in scope and context. Refurbished is the broadest and most common term for electronics and furniture — it implies cleaning, repairing, and updating to a like-new condition. Renovated focuses on buildings or rooms and suggests structural or cosmetic changes (new floors, repainted walls, updated fixtures). Restored emphasises returning an item to its original state, often for older, valuable, or antique items. Reconditioned is narrower — it mainly applies to machinery or engines and stresses functional repair over appearance. In everyday shopping, 'refurbished' is the label you see on discounted laptops and phones; 'renovated' describes an updated hotel room or apartment.

refurbished ↗renovatedrestoredreconditioned

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in refurbished condition
  • refurbished by the manufacturer

Etymology

GermanicOld FrenchEnglish

Refurbished is the past participle of the verb 'refurbish', which was formed in English in the 1600s by adding the prefix 're-' ('again') to 'furbish'. 'Furbish' comes from the Old French 'furbir' ('to polish, make bright, clean'), which has its roots in the Germanic 'furbjan' ('to polish'). So the literal meaning of refurbish is 'to polish again' — cleaning something until it shines.